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Status Report: Week 50 (The Home Stretch)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; well, neither is exactly true, but this past week saw some wonderful moments as well as some mortifying ones.

The highlight of the week was attending PSX here in Anaheim. My partner and I went to the early bird event on Friday night (for the live presentation), and to the floor show on Saturday. Friday’s presentation was exciting with the head of some of Sony’s biggest studios in attendance. When Kojima emerged from the wings, the crowd went bonkers at the sight of him.

Saturday we made a point of seeing everything we could on the show floor. While there are certainly some large games on the horizon that I can’t wait for (e.g.: Far Cry 5), the game of the show for me was an indie title called Shape of the World by Hollow Tree Games.

First person exploration: Shape of the World casts you as an outsider experiencing a surreal world that reacts to your presence. Journey through vibrant ecosystems that spring to life with psychedelic colors, splashing waterfalls, luminous monoliths and graceful creatures.

A realm that leaves you free to progress at your own pace, without the incessant ticking of the clock. Find yourself pleasantly lost as you summit mountains, fly with whales, raise precipitous boardwalks and slide swiftly to new and ever stranger environments.

I had the privilege of talking to the developer and composer at length, and I couldn’t be more excited to play the full release next year. Look for more on this game from me sooner than later. Suffice to say, the color palettes are dreamy, and the game has my interest.

Later in the day I decided to brave the hour/s long line at the PlayStation gear store in the event hall, and the experience was more than I bargained for.

I initially got on line because I’d seen someone with a plush Trico and wanted to obtain one for myself.

My partner was looking at other games on the show floor while I was in line, so I was solo. I wound up in an interesting conversation with the two people in front of me (both also solo) and we must have been having a lively enough conversation that we caught the eye of someone looking for people to be on a spot for PlayStation about PSX and the store. They approached the three of us and asked if we’d like to be filmed for something for PlayStation. The two people with me were very into the idea; I was not. The gentleman who approached us expressed interest in having all three of us together and I didn’t want to ruin it for those nice people so I went along with it.

I immediately regretted my choice.

As some of you know, I could not think less well of how I look right now, or feel less confident in general. I don’t even want anyone to take a picture of me, let alone put me on any size screen saying anything. My two new friends were super excited and I was off to the side asking if I could possibly excuse myself and they could continue on. Nope. I must have looked mortified as the man with the boom mic asked me if I was okay.

Before too long we were on camera, each answering a question. At the end of the questions, we were asked to, on the count of three, all shout, “PLAYSTATION!” I was like, well, I’ll do my best. Then they made us sign release forms and the whole nine.

After the fact, they found out we weren’t all old friends and had literally just met on line, and we all had a good laugh.

But I am still mortified. I’m sure I sounded like an idiot because all I wanted to do was disappear. I was caught somewhere between feeling like I was going to throw up and wanting to run away.

Classy.

Oh, and they were already sold out of the Trico plush, so I waited in line for pretty much nothing. I found a couple of shirts to buy so the situation wasn’t a total loss.

Aside from all that, I’ve still been playing an awful lot of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. I know it’s a shallower version of a mainline Animal Crossing title, but I still find it delightful.

This week I’d like to get to Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package, and the upcoming Okami HD on PS4. I happened to notice over the weekend that Okami HD will share trophies with the PS3 version from several years back; I found that odd. No matter how the trophies shake out, I look forward to stepping into Amaterasu’s paws once again and bringing nature back to the land.

You can bet there will be loads and loads of screenshots. The game is endlessly beautiful.

With that I ask: what will you be playing this week? What are you hoping to get to before December 31st?

Also a heads up: my computer decided to literally start falling apart and I have to get its replacement up and running. My pieces for the remainder of the year may be a bit shorter, but since activity is also far lower, I didn’t think anyone would mind.

Congrats on PSX adventures! I don’t have too much time to play this week. Before the end of the year I’m hoping to finish The Last of Us. I’d like to dabble in Halo Wars 2 as well as play narrative games such as Virginia and What Remains of Edith Fitch. On Black Friday I picked up Persona 5, I want to clear out some backlog and start such a epic JRPG in the new year. Good luck with setting up your new computer! 2018 will be fabulous, I’m sure of it!

Have been regretting not getting a Trico plush when I was there, but I feel better knowing they sold out quickly. What time did you get into the store on Saturday? And was it the one near the entrance (with the two sides) or the one more in the center of the show floor)?